For all the Brussels Sprouts Haters - what don't you like about them?

I know that many love Brussels Sprouts but they are also a vegetable that has a long reputation of being detested by some I guess similar to cilantro and the classic vegetable that no one wants to try. I know that they have discovered a gene which makes them taste intensely bitter to some (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blo...) but is this the reason you hate Brussels sprouts? For all the Brussels sprouts haters, what is it that you hate?

This is true. Unfortunately, sometime people cannot handle the truth. :)

One time someone said that she could not taste bitterness from a certain vegetable, and I said it is due to a gene difference and that she cannot taste. She took it as a personal attack (which makes no sense to me) and responded very aggressively.

I hope you don't get that.

For me, I love brussels sprouts. Another thing to notice is that many people taste for bitterness goes down as they age. What tastes very bitter at young age may only taste mildly bitter. This explains why many people starts to like to eat broccoli, brussel sprouts...etc as they get older.

I don't know about the "bitter gene" but for most people who are averse to Brussels sprouts, IMO the reason is the same as why so many folks don't like broccoli and liver -- those items turn from good to really bad if they are overcooked, and it is easy to overcook them, taking only a minute or two too long on heat. On top of that, many/most of us grew up with mothers who weren't skilled cooks and if they even prepared those items they overcooked them -- same problem in other settings such as school cafeterias. Consequently many if not most people have formed their negative taste/opinion about sprouts, liver, etc. based on poorly prepared examples. Is it any wonder?

I'll kinda/sorta go along with you. But. A couple of years ago we dined at a VERY highly touted restaurant and a CH friend raved about the BS. Said even her BS-hating husband loved them. They weren't awful. But we still didn't like them. As far as liver, I've tried every chicken or calves liver that anyone said "oh, you'll like MINE." Yuck. Now, foie gras - get out of my way. 'Course that tastes nothing like 'normal' liver. Boo hoo, we finished the last of our two lobes for the 25th anniversary on April Fools Day.

I'm sure that's true for some people and for some foods, but I can tell you I've tried Brussels sprouts in a huge variety of ways (heck, I grew up in a town that had its own Brussels sprout festival), and I just don't like them.

I even tried them again after a long period of ignoring them when our CSA gave them to us a few years ago. Tried them raw, tried them lightly blanched. Guess what? They still sucked. They are bitter little hell-pellets and I hate them. And this is perfectly okay.

I adore roasted brussel sprouts but even a fan like me doesn't care for their lingering odor. They taste great but I don't want my home to smell. So, we roast, enjoy and wash the pan almost immediately and any scrapes go directly to the compost pile buried deep!